Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Is it A Record?

I'm still in a good mood!

Even the latest RWA bullshit can't dull my high spirits. In fact, I had actually planned to do a tiny amount of ranting about that, but I'm too cheerful. Besides, a lot of other people have already said what I would have said.

Well, okay, except this. The idea that gay people falling in love is somehow unromantic is fine. (No, it isn't, of course, but stay with me.) But according to the same types of people who would say something like the above statement, sex doesn't really belong in romance anyway. They prefer their romance squeaky-clean and sex free. These are generally the same people who remind us over and over that romance novels aren't about sex, and the physical aspects of the relationship aren't so important, it's the people and their sweet kindness and the way they manage to find each other and blah blah blah anything that doesn't involve cocks. Sex in romance is shameful! What sort of person wants to read about such things? They have loftier interests, they do. They're interested in people's souls, much like Satan waving those contracts around.

So that being the case, what difference does it make if the people falling in love are a men/woman combo, or man/man or woman/woman, or man/woman/man, or whatever? If the filthy little sexual aspects are unimportant and don't belong in a romance novel, what difference does it make? Information about people's dirty bits and how they fit together has no place in romance anyway, right, because somehow sex is not romantic. So why not just submit a novelization of Lethal Weapon or, my favorite, John Woo's The Killer? If romance novels are basically just man/woman buddy movies, why not?

I'll tell you why not. Because romance is for adults. If it wasn't, we'd call it YA. It's for grown-ups, and grown-ups not only have sex but sometimes like to read about or see other people having sex. (Remind me to rant about porn sometime, and how if the porn industry would film some erotic romance novels--not the books themselves, you understand, but scripts based on them--women would probably enjoy porn more. I'm not a fan of porn, but I'd sure watch it if it was costume porn, with knights and lots of ass-kicking in between the graphic sex scenes. Make that romantic graphic sex scenes, that is. Oops, guess I ranted about porn when I wasn't paying attention. My rants have developed a life of their own.)

Anyway, romance novels are for grown-up people, by grown-up people and about grown-up people. If you want to read books where nobody has sex and only pretty ladies and squeaky-clean men fall in chaste love, read inspirational romance or shit written for teenagers, and get your nasty little hands off my sex scenes.

But, as I said, I'm not going to write about that. I'm too happy. Why?

Because I just saw the cover art for Prince of Death, and I am really, really, REALLY pleased with it. I love it. I think it's beautiful, I think it's romantic, I think it's just a little sexy. The artist, Nancy Donahue, did a smashing job and was more than willing to fix my little nitpicks to make it perfect. I'm not allowed to post it until we get the okay from WCP's EIC/Publisher, but the minute I do I will put it up. I really love it and hope you will too, and all is right with the world (except those damn RWA bitches and their pissy little letters. But screw them--I have a pretty cover!)

9 comments:

astrologymemphis.blogspot.com said...

I look forward to seeing the cover of that book. When do you expect that to be?

Stacia said...

I'm going to post it in a little while, southern writer. I got the OK this morning!


The thing that gets me about it, Jenna, is the idea that gay romance is some crazy new invention. It isn't, at all. It's been around for as long as straight romance has, just not as public.
And I can't wait to read T.A.'s work. :-)

s.w. vaughn said...

Woot!! Cover art is forthcoming!

Ya know, I ran across some muddled thing about this RWA/gay romance to-do somewhere, and I thought nah, that couldn't be right. Why would RWA have a problem with gay romance? They're a big organization with open-minded people who work to banish the stigma associated with the romance genre, so why would they generate a stigma to attach to a subgenre of the very work they promote?

Oh, SW, how naive you are...

Damn. People are such assholes.

December, I'm diving back in to your world tonight. Finally have a bit of a breather from deadlines. Can't wait!!

Oh -- Jenna, I second your plug for TA. His stuff is delicious, and sweet and heartwarming and romantic and GAY. HA!!!

Anonymous said...

O.K. Y'all will call me a few names like redneck or something, but here goes. I don't like gay anything. However, I have no problem with gay anything. Confused? I believe in freedom and accountability. So, gay is fine if that is your bag. It isn't mine. I don't have a problem with gay romance or erotica but I don't want to read it. When I read a book, I would like to know up front if it has anything homosexual in the content. That way, I can pass on it and get something more to my taste. I think I mentioned before that a friend wrote a romance that included some g/g action out of the blue near the end in the climactic scene (pardon the pun). It almost screwed up the story for me (again, pardon the pun). That's just my .o2 on the subject.
-JTC

Bernita said...

Oh Geesus!
Colour me vanilla( or maybe butter pecan) as far as reading/writing sex scenes is concerned, BUT I don't care for attempts at censuring what other adults write or read - excepting child porn.
Don't feel what other people do in bed is my business, whether it's writing, reading or sex - I'm not a busy-body watchdog.

Sam said...

I think romance is special and should not be limited to people with no penises or vaginas, bue be for everyone wether they are male, female, handicapped or valid, whatever their color, creed, or what have you.
Sigh.
Rant over.

Stacia said...

I'm not going to call you a redneck, JTC. I actually think your attitude is great. You're not a gay fan, but you live and let live. Isn't that the way we should all view lifestyles or habits or whatever that we don't necessarily agree with or find attractive?


Yes, SW, people are indeed assholes. And I'm so glad you want to dive back in!

Exactly, Bernita. What other adults want to read or write is up to them, and the subject matter shouldn't make much difference as to whether or not the work is any good. I don't particularly enjoy, for example, books about dinosaurs, but I certainly wouldn't claim that dinosaur books are wrong and evil.

Let's hope romance isn't limited to penisless, vaginaless people, Sam! What a trgedy that would be! :-)

Erik Ivan James said...

I agree one hundred percent with JTC. And, if gay is in it, I want to know up front so I won't waste my money on something I won't finish or, if it's at the end, wind up pissed.

Stacia said...

So I guess a man/woman romance where it's revealed at the end that the hero is actually gay wouldn't be your thing, huh Erik? ;-)